The tragic murders last year of two Vermont toddlers, Dezirae Sheldon and Peighton Geraw, shocked and saddened all Vermonters. Several reviews of the circumstances of those deaths followed, offering important recommendations. Each review focused attention on the unmanageable caseloads carried by the social workers in the Department for Children and Families.
The legislative response, S.9, now working its way through the Legislature does not address that fundamental shortcoming. Neither does it focus needed resources on prevention of abuse and neglect. This represents a failure to apply the lessons learned from the tragedies.
While well-intentioned, S.9 as passed by the Senate mostly addresses the criminal justice system, making it easier to prosecute perpetrators after the children have already been harmed. Some of these measures will be of value. Others have been controversial and appropriately removed in the House version while other improvements have been made. But still, caseloads and prevention have gotten short shrift.
Does child welfare bill go far enough.
[For more of this story, written by Joseph F. Hagan, got to http://www.burlingtonfreepress...alls-short/26042255/]
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